Bandaru Dattatreya is the first Telangana minister at the Centre

NEW DELHI: Five months after it came into existence, the new state of Telangana finally got represented in the BJP government at the Centre with party veteran Bandaru Dattatreya being sworn in as minister of state with independent charge.

Mr Dattatreya, the lone BJP MP from Telangana, has promised to fight for protecting the rights of both Telangana and the residuary AP.

The 68-year-old MP was sworn-in by President Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday afternoon as Prime Minister Narendra Modi expanded his Cabinet for the first time after he assumed office on May 26, this year.